Tampa Bay coach Guy Boucher loved what he saw when he dropped into Syracuse and joined the Crunch for road games in Binghamton and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton last weekend.

But Boucher has been paying close attention to the Crunch all season, even from a distance.

Boucher said he has watched clips of almost every shift of every Syracuse player this season.

"There's obviously a lot to see,'' Boucher said Friday. "There's a lot of types of prospects. And some of them are knocking on the door (of the NHL).''

Boucher said character is the trait that first comes to mind when scouting Syracuse.

"Those guys are ready to pay the price,'' Boucher said. "There is cohesion, for sure. When they switch it on, you can see they've been playing for awhile. There are so many different types of players on that team. You've got it all.''

Boucher said Syracuse head coach Jon Cooper's people skills give him the knack of being able to blend it all together.

"He definitely fits in the organizational direction, very honest, down to earth. Very people-oriented,'' Boucher said. "The people they (Tampa Bay) hire are people who care about people. Jon fits into that. In the end, the players give it back, because they feel we care.''

Boucher said he misses coaching a lot, but resisted the urge to start drawing up Xs and Os and making locker room speeches for the Crunch.

"I have an urge to coach,'' he said. "But I want to coach my team. I felt like a kid again (in Syracuse). I did talk to some players, emphasize the things they are going to be asked (in Tampa Bay), things that can accelerate their developmental process.

"(I) try not to change what Jon is doing down there. Me, as a coach, I want to respect how things are down there.''

Boucher's said he could return to Syracuse within the next couple of weeks.